From the Afternoon Tea, Chat, and Treasuries Etsy Team

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Amy is a crazy talented lady that I’ve had the privilege of knowing now for over 3 years, and have had the great fortune to have worked with her on several collaborative themed projects. Her deep love of art has manifested itself in many different forms through the years. She named several things she’s enjoyed, get a load of all these skills: writing, drawing, painting, sculpting, styling makeup and hair, photography, stitching, knitting, crocheting, singing, trumpeting, and body modification. She says that for as long as she can remember she’s always adored making things with love and giving to others. And that she does…

I wanted to show you a small demonstration of one of our collaborative efforts several years ago. We did an Alice in Wonderland themed collection together. At the time I was working with perfumery. Here is a promotional banner which shows the fabulous hat Amy made and she wrote this awesome poem about our collection:

How cool is that? And look at that hat! Hey, I can rhyme too!

And speaking of hats, here are a couple that she’s designed recently. These are Fascinator Hats from her CMTA Collection:

There’s something else you should know about Amy. Amy is an amazing and giving person, and it goes way beyond her artistic abilities.

Amy bravely lives with a disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth. She says, “It’s the most common disease you’ve never heard of. CMT is a hereditary motor and sensory neuromuscular disease which causes pain, loss of sensation, and death to muscles in the body. It can effect hands, arms, feet, legs, diaphragm (breathing), skeletal structure (scoliosis), memory, brain function and other parts of the body.”

And you know what? Instead of giving in, Amy works hard. Not only having the will to continue with her hat and bow making, but also donating at least 10% of her monthly gross income to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association’s STAR Research Fund. She says, “This fund works tirelessly; researching treatments and, hopefully one day, a cure. I smile knowing that every item I make for my Etsy shop is durable, beautiful, enjoyable, and supportive of a worthy cause. I currently sell hair accessories, and will be adding different items to my shop whenever I can. I sell a collection of blue and orange items, which are the official colors of the CMTA. 50% of the proceeds of those items go directly to the CMTA charity.”

Amy works towards raising awareness and money for the CMTA (cmtausa.org), and continues to be a super courageous person who, despite wearing leg braces every day, using a wheelchair to get around, and can only use her hands for short periods of time – does all she does! Such an inspiration… She is a loving wife, a superhero aunt, and a very loyal friend who has a giant heart (to be sure) and loves to smile and laugh.

It’s people like Amy that make this world go around much more beautifully, with her kind and warm spirit and gorgeous items that we can all wear and enjoy. I myself own beautiful designs made by Amy. Here is a collage of some of her recent hats and bows:

I truly hope you’ll stop by and see Amy. She is the most friendly person you’ll ever get a chance to meet. She also does custom orders, so drop her a line and tell her what you’d like to wear to brighten up your style and day.

Studio3B is filled with unique, beautiful purses and lip balm holders. Every item is hand-crafted by Johanna (also known as Jfay), the owner of the shop. Studio3B is located in Houston, Texas.

In the years that I have known Jfay, I’ve found her to be sweet, giving, smart, fun-loving, wildly talented, and funny. She has such a great way with words and a very unique story to tell. When I approached her about making this feature, she was ecstatic. I asked her to tell us about herself, her background, and her hobbies, here’s what she had to say:

“Hello, my name is Johanna Bustamento and I am a nut 😉 Haha! Nope, nope, let’s start over 🙂

I enjoy sewing and crafting of all kinds. I’m always looking forward to new and inspiring projects. I find inspiration everywhere, and have a long family history of artistic creatives, so it seems I may have inherited quite a few loves of different types of creative output. I like to keep it fresh, keep it new and always have fun.

At the present, I’ve been enjoying making lip balm holders. I came across this idea when looking for a project to incorporate using left over fabrics from my purse projects. I found only one “how to” on the subject, and it did not really work for me, so I set about to create my own design. After several experiments I finally got the look down that I wanted and also added a few extra features to make them really cute as well as functional.

So now I set about to find specific fabric just for these little cuties instead of them being the afterthought project. They’ve found their way to my heart, and have now taken center stage. I’m enjoying making cute and fun themed designs with these. My favorite right now is the Wonder Woman themed holders.

The fabulous thing about these holders is that I make them using key rings, and you can clip and carry them anywhere. Even if you’re not carrying a bag. Some have large enough clasps to clip them to your belt loops and you can also clip them to any zipper pull. My new motto now is, “Stay kissable on the go!”

My other new passion is blogging. I began blogging a while back and had an idea of where I wanted it to go, but then kind of let it lag. I’m now back with a clearer vision and much eagerness. My blog is named Yum Factor 10, American Crafted. The main focus of Yum Factor 10 is to celebrate the fabulousness of American artists, artisans and crafters. My family and I appreciate the hard work and dedication that these very talented people put into what they do.

I’ll be blogging about all kinds of fun stuffs. From mouth watering goodness – and probably a shared family recipe or two in the mix, to celebrating those who provide us with beautiful things, and make things that make us look gorgeous, to stylish art, very crafty things, and who knows what all I’ll find! And definitely we’ll be trying some craft beers and IPA’s. That’s one of my (and my family’s) newest hobbies.

There is also a showcase on Yum Factor 10 for local stars in our area, and I plan to be adding an International Friends category soon. So all kinds of fun stuffs going on. I hope you’ll stop by and visit. I’m always on the lookout for fresh talent to showcase, so drop me a line if you know of anyone that I should check out. yumfactor10.com

Studio3B is always adding wonderful new items to their shop, so be sure to check back often! Jfay welcomes custom orders, so feel free to message her. There are also new and exciting things being added to the Yum Factor 10 blog all the time!

3GearsGlassAndGifts is filled with functional art glass for everyday life.

3GearsGlassAndGifts is owned and operated in Colorado by Reba. She has been a glass artist for over 20 years. She loves to teach and create. Her home based studio specializes in ready made glass art for every day use and enjoyment. Having a background that started with stained glass, Reba likes to incorporate many different types of techniques into her creations.

3GearsGlassAndGifts has a wide variety of useful housewares, along with one of a kind pieces. A lot of Reba’s ideas come from nature, and stunning sunsets and sunrises that she sees. Her best sellers are her mosaic soap dispensers. Her shop also offers lotion dispensers, stained glass, jewelry, fused glass soap dishes, fused glass bowls, fused spoon rests, fused glass art, mosaic wall art, mosaic tissue box covers, and fused candle screens. Reba adds new pieces all the time and welcomes custom orders!

The holiday shopping season is here, and this week’s featured shop is MickeyAndChicken!

MickeyAndChicken has a huge variety of versatile, affordable, accessible styles for busy women.

MickeyAndChicken is owned and operated in Denver by Janet. She is inspired by beautiful fabrics that feel amazing, gorgeous gemstones, and pearls that catch her eye. Her designs are simple and created to let the beauty of each piece of fabric or gemstone take center stage. The shop name “MickeyAndChicken” comes from Janet’s younger daughter; her two favorite accessories are her Mickey Mouse blanket and her “Chicks Rule” blanket. “These two blankets – which she affectionately refers to as ‘Mickey and Chicken’ make her feel happy, confident, cozy,” Janet says, “I hope my designs make you feel the same way.”

Janet’s shop is full of scarves, cardigans, ponchos, kimono shrugs, bags, totes, purses, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Each piece Janet creates for MickeyAndChicken is designed to be versatile and affordable so that every woman – no matter how busy she is – has easy access to a stylish, polished look. She works hard making every item unique, beautiful, durable, and fashionable.

PrettyByrdDesigns is overflowing with original paper creations! You can find a beautiful card or small gift for any occasion.

PrettyByrdDesigns is owned and operated in Ohio by Beth Byrd. Beth is an amazing artist whose creativity shines through in every item she handcrafts. She is particularly drawn to flowers, nature, and botanical themes. Her love of the past is often seen in her work, which tends to express a vintage style.

Beth’s shop is filled with greeting cards, decorative boxes, journals, mixed media art, and other original paper craft items. She is wonderful at working with her customers to fashion special, one-of-a-kind creations.

Beth is a proud member of the design team for Ewe-N-Me Printables, as well as a crew member for Canvas Corp Brands/7 Gypsies. Additionally, her cards have been featured in “Take Ten” (Spring 2015) and “The Stampers’ Sampler” (Spring 2014 and 2015). You can stay up-to-date with Beth and all of her amazing goodies by following her blog.

Sweetiepips is one of my favorite jewelry shops with it’s wide range of styles and beautifully bright colors. It’s run by a very fascinating lady name Katrien, who is an awesome artist and absolutely loves what she does. It definitely shows!

Katrien describes her work as “Unique, Bold and Beautiful Bits “N” Pieces”. She says that she loves to ponder, experiment, design, and create unique and beautiful things. “Taking inspiration from past and present, vintage and contemporary fashions and styles, my bits ‘n’ pieces then unravel and evolve quite organically.”

And showing off her whimsical side, you have to love these cute and sometimes quirky designs:

Bright Pink Cat and Meow Earring Designs

Fried eggs on toast anyone? Earrings that is….

And I really love these cute rain cloud brooches:

I hope you’ll stop by and visit Katrien and Sweetiepips very soon. You never know what treasures you’ll find there!